Why French Women Have Killer Bodies?

Posted on 30th December 2010 in Uncategorized

French women are renowned for spending large portions of their salaries on health and beauty just so they can look like they were born beautiful.

I have been in France many times and French women never cease to amaze me. Their seemingly effortless beauty has always fascinated me. They look naturally slim, yet only they know, and I know, how much effort they actually put into looking that good.

Every time I’ve set foot on a French beach I’ve been shocked by the amazing bodies of the local women. I’ve never seen so many washboard abs in the one place. Many of them sported by women well in their thirties; yummy mummies surrounded by bundles of kids.

If you, like me, are curious about how they stay slim with so many tempting patisseries full of delicious croissants around… here’s my French woman’s rules to a killer body. Easy as 1,2,3,4…

1.Always Have Breakfast: Not just at weekends, not just when you have time, and not just a coffee on the rush. Have a proper breakfast. Throughout the years I have seen French women confidently eat a breakfast consisting of fruit, coffee and croissant, or a piece of buttered baguette. Whereas I don’t think this is the most nutritious meal you can have first thing in the morning, this does not make French women fat, and they know it.

2.Snack On Crudites: Crudits are small pieces of raw vegetables. Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, celery… you name it, they snack on it. In the office, at home, on the beach… highly nutritious, high in water and low in fat and calories, crudits are low in sugar too. This is why they are so effective at keeping you full for longer.

3.Be Picky About Your Food: French women understand food. They take pride in their health and appearance, and are very picky about the foods they eat. If you’ve ever seen French women shopping at their local vegetable market, then you’ll know what I am talking about. They will only buy top quality fresh produce. Their baskets are colourful displays of seasonal fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and meat.

You may be thinking, what about the cheese and the bread? Yes, they do eat small amounts of cheese and bread, but here’s what they do next…

4.Work Out: I don’t know one French woman who doesn’t work out. Whether it is at the gym, running, rollerblading, hiking, swimming… they are always active and on the go. They don’t make excuses, they don’t moan about it… they make it part of their daily routine and just do it, because it’s good for them and it makes them look damn good.

I’ve lived and worked with French women both in France and in Ireland, and I am telling you, they don’t do all of this just to get in shape before they go on holidays, they do this all year round. As a result, in the summer, it shows big time!

In my opinion they have a fantastic attitude towards food, exercise and towards their bodies too. A certain pride that can be misinterpreted, but that for me translates into pure charisma.

Now, I am not saying this is the only way you can start to make changes in the way you approach food and exercise. But if it works for them, it can certainly work for you!

Anna Aparicio is a IINLP Life & Business Coach, Speaker and Educator based in Dublin, Ireland.

She specialises in Health & Fitness issues such as: weight loss,cravings,overeating,eating disorders,fitness goals achievement,sports performance, smoking cessation.

Anna uses cutting edge NLP, Hypnosis and self-improvement technologies to create massive changes in her clients, fast.

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Thank Goodness For Our French Translator

Posted on 23rd December 2010 in Uncategorized

I love almost everything about travel. I love the wonder and the newness of entering a culture that I have never been to before. I love meeting new people, trying new customs, and getting aquainted with the foods and drinks that people around the world love dearly. One thing, however, that I always struggle with in my travels is communication. While many people in the world speak English even if it is not their first language, I hate being the tourist that enters a new land and expects people to do things on my terms. So when I was preparing to spend a month working on a photography book in France, I was most happy to have the services of a French translator.

When my company told me that they were sending me and a team of three other photographers to France to get initial shots for a tour of France photojournalism book, I could not have been more excited. That is, until they told us that we would be staying with French people, doing French things, and learning to see France through the eyes of the native people. I was nervous about having to communicate with the French in their own language since I had barely made it through two years of high school French. My French translator was the best resource during that trip.

Our French translator was an amazing French woman that was more than happy to accompany us on the month long journey all around her native country. We met her at the airport and she never made us feel anything but safe and at home in her native land. I took a special liking to our French translator, I guess partly because she was doing the hard work of crossing the language barrier that I always dreaded about travel.

I told our French translator that while I did in fact need and want her to translate for me in most situations, I also wanted her to teach me as much French as possible during our month together. She obliged and we immediately began a month of intensive French lessons. I loved my lessons and I loved feeling like I knew way more about speaking French after just one month with a personal tutor.

Our French translator was the one who talked with me about the importance of learning foreign languages and of realizing that English was not the only language of the world. I learned so much from her that month. We became lifelong friends. I was so glad that she helped me make it through my month in France.

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How to Stay Skinny As a French Woman in 10

Posted on 18th November 2010 in Uncategorized

How to Stay Skinny As a French Woman in 10 Easy Steps

If you’ve ever been in Paris, I’m sure you have noticed that there are a lot fewer people running around with extra weight around their middles or their thighs or anywhere else. How, oh how, do those French women stay so slender?

Here are some of their tactics which you may like to adopt:

1. Start out with small bones. French people are small people naturally, their frames are narrow and not designed for carrying a lot of weight.
2. Smoke cigarettes. Ugh, I’m not serious, but it is a fact that the French in general smoke quite a bit, and it doesn’t have nearly the social stigma that it does in other parts of the world. Nicotine is a strong appetite suppressant.
3. Walk. I’m not talking about putting on your sweats and tennies and heading to the park. I’m talking about your next trip to the grocery store. And guess who’s carrying the groceries home? My French neighbor walks everywhere, including daily trips to the kids school and the bakery. She does that in high heels by the way!
4. Notice your food. What’s that on your plate that you’re eating? Take a bite and chew slowly. Comment on the flavors.
5. Eat slowly. Take hours to finish your meal.
6. Eat with your friends or if you don’t have any, at least with your family. Invite the waiter to sit a while. Talk. Talk. Talk.
7. Reject your food. I have been witness to so many scenes in French restaurants where food and drink have been returned to the kitchen judged inapt for tender palates. In general the waiters do not seem to mind this one bit. In fact, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves thoroughly over the matter; a small piece of theater over a burnt corner of potato.
8. Eat full fat cheese. Seriously. Stop eating low calorie anything. Until a few years ago, you’d be hard pressed to even find a diet Coke in France.
9. Have a glass of wine with your meal, but drink it so slowly that your glass is still half full an hour later.
10. If you gain an ounce, even if it’s just between your ears, complain about it pitifully. Discuss for hours on end how you just can’t fit into your dress anymore. Guess French women aren’t so different from other women on that point.

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French Fashion – How to Dress Like a Stylish French

Posted on 28th October 2010 in Uncategorized

French Fashion – How to Dress Like a Stylish French Woman

Whether you want to learn how to achieve a chic French fashion style because admire and want to dress like them or if you just want to avoid looking like a tourist when traveling in France, these tricks will help you achieve your goal:

Focus on yourself and not the trends

Wear clothes and accessories that suit you, such as your body shape, face shape, height, colors and personality. Do not get too caught up on what’s the latest rave on the catwalk. Before adding a trend detail to your wardrobe, examine it first from a neutral point of view and determine if it will complement your personal style. If it doesn’t, then drop it! French fashion revolves around bringing out the best in your appearance and disguising the parts you don’t like.

Less is more

French women like to accentuate what they’ve got. Like for example, they use colors to bring out a healthy glow in their complexion or accessories to draw attention to the parts they like about themselves. The trick is to for example keep the color or detail on one part of your body instead of scattering it all over your outfit.

Neutral colors

French clothing is about versatility, so you should embrace colors that are easy to mix and match, such as black, dark brown and white/cream. If you’re wearing a bright colored red dress then you should balance it out with a simple black belt, black tights and black blazer.

Clean, crisp lines

French women know that they don’t need the flashiest clothes to look good. They focus on wearing tailored and fitted garments that follow her womanly curves.

Wear a scarf

Add a finishing touch to your outfit with a scarf. Tie it firmly around the neck and let the end hang graciously over your chest or wear it loosely around your neck for a casual-chic look.

Wear oversized sunglasses

A very French fashion thing is to disguise your eyes to create a mysterious and sexy image. A pair of oversized sunglasses in black or tortoise brown are a favorite choice because they project this glamorous and sleek style without looking over the top.

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